Toyota adding more workers than anticipated for Highlander production

FILE - This March 31, 2010 file photo shows the Toyota logo on a car at the New York International Auto Show in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

p>Toyota, which has been adding production workers to prepare for a ramp-up in production of its Highlander SUV at its Princeton, Ind., plant, said Tuesday it will be hiring more employees than originally planned.

In February 2012, Toyota announced it would invest $400 million and add 400 production jobs so that the plant could increase its annual production of Highlanders from 130,000 vehicles to 180,000. The expansion will include a new hybrid version and models built for export to the Australian and Russian markets. Toyota is also launching an updated version of the vehicle later this year. Toyota started hiring for this project last July.

On Tuesday, Toyota said it plans to hire 90 employees by the end of July. That will bring the total hired to 446 — 46 more than originally planned.

The automaker said it needs the additional employees because of strong sales for the current Highlander, and expected demand for the updated version.

"The Highlander remains a very strong vehicle for us," said Toyota spokesman Pat Wathen.

In sales figures released Monday, Toyota said it had sold 50,681 Highlanders for the calendar year to date. That's 8 percent higher than the 47,065 the automaker sold during the same period last year.

Toyota's 90 new hires will come from its variable workforce — people who work at Toyota but who are employed by staffing company Aerotek.

Wathen said after the Aerotek employees become Toyota team members, the automaker plans to "backfill" its variable workforce by bringing on another 90 Aerotek workers.

Those interested in production jobs can apply via Aerotek's website, www.aerotekin.com.